ACADEMIC DEGREES/STUDIES
| 2024 | Ph.D. | George Mason University
Primary focus: Special Education Secondary focus: Research Methods “Examining the Functional Relation between Variations of a Multicomponent Literacy Intervention and Improvements in Foundational Reading Skills by Young Students with Down Syndrome” |
| 2019 | M.A. | University of South Florida
Major: Autism and Severe Intellectual Disabilities |
| 2017 | International Scholar Laureate Program (ISLP) for Diplomacy and International Relations, Johannesburg and Durban, South Africa, University of KwaZulu-Natal and University of Johannesburg | |
| 2017 | B.S. | University of South Florida
Major: Exceptional Student Education |
| 2015 | A.A. | Hillsborough Community College
Areas of focus: Counseling and Human Services; Elementary Education |
LICENSES
| Jun 2018- Jun 2027 | Special Education- Adapted Curriculum K-12, VA |
| Jun 2017- Jun 2027 | Special Education- General Curriculum K-12, VA |
| Jun 2017- Jun 2027 | English as a Second Language PREK-12, VA |
UNIVERSITY EXPERIENCE AND PROFESSIONAL ACTIVITIES
Baylor University, Waco, TX
Postdoctoral Research Assistant, Dr. Alison Prahl May 2024 – present
- Manages a team of undergraduate and graduate research assistants
- Leads data management for research team
- Assists with qualitative and quantitative data collection and data analysis
- Plans and conducts focus groups with professional and community stakeholders
- Scheduler within the research team
- Organizes streamlined workflows from planning to analysis
- Participates in NIH and IES grant planning and writing activities with PI
American Association on Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities (AAIDD)
Czech Republic Delegation, Dr. Margaret Nygren Sept 2024 – October 2024
- Studied the country’s infrastructure for supporting individuals with intellectual and developmental disabilities
- Met with government officials to discuss funding and disability policy
- Visited related service providers, schools, institutions, and community resource centers across the country to meet with stakeholders
Italy Delegation, Dr. Margaret Nygren Sept 2023 – October 2023
- Studied the country’s infrastructure for supporting individuals with intellectual and developmental disabilities
- Met with government officials to discuss funding and disability policy
- Visited related service providers, schools, institutions, and community resource centers across the country to meet with stakeholders
George Mason University, Fairfax, VA
Adjunct Faculty, University Supervisor Sept 2024 – present
- Supervises preservice teachers in adapted curriculum program
- Conducts observations of teacher candidates
- Guides the reflective process through weekly assignments
- Evaluates teacher candidate and mentor teacher performance
University Teaching Assistantship, Dr. Melissa Ainsworth Aug 2022 – May 2024
- Co-taught undergraduate and graduate students
- Graded assignments
- Developed and led course activities
- Managed groups during classwork
- Recorded lecture videos
- Created rubrics
DEEL Graduate Research Scholar, Dr.Sheri Berkeley Aug 2021 – May 2024
- Planned and wrote for grant team with students and faculty
Assistant Project Manager, Dr. Berkeley Jan 2021 – May 2024
- Supported program improvement project to develop enhanced electronic versions of Ph.D. program forms using Dynamic Forms (with embedded policy requirements and specialized signature routing)
- Piloted the electronic forms through multiple revision processes
- Provided technical assistance for faculty and staff including creating user support documents
- Collaborated with stakeholders (i.e., Project Director, Ph.D. Director, Ph.D. Program Manager, IT office personnel, faculty, and students)
DEEL Graduate Research Scholar, Drs. Sheri Berkeley and Linda Mason Aug 2021 – January 2022
- Created surveys for research project using RedCap
- Planned, developed, and conducted trainings for program manager in RedCap
- Data analysis and management with P.I. and program manager
Graduate Research Assistant, Dr. Satsangi Aug 2020 – Dec 2020
- Manuscript review and editing for special education research
- Library database search
Department of Education (ED), Washington, D.C.
PhD Student Intern, Institute of Education Sciences (IES) May 2022 – Jun 2022
- Abstract review and rewrites for National Center for Special Education Research (NCSER)
- Blog writing
- Thematic analysis for panel transcripts
PhD Student Intern, Office of Special Education Programs (OSEP). Jun 2021 – Jul 2021
- Attended meetings for Director’s Office
- Participated in practice review panels
- Assisted in writing teams for policy guidance documents
- Conducted research and searches in ED database
K-12 TEACHING AND PROFESSIONAL EXPERIENCE
Fairfax County Public Schools, Fairfax, VA
Contracted Teacher, Kilmer Center Jan 2019 – Jun 2021
- Middle, High, & Post-Graduate, Multiple & Severe Special Education Teacher
- Co-taught post-graduate classroom
- Lead teacher middle and high classroom
- Orchestrated community-based instruction for multiple classrooms
- Organized book club for multiple grade levels
- IEP case management
- Supervised team of instructional assistants
- Collaborated with IEP service team
- Morning and afternoon bus duty
- Piloted eye-gaze technology with county assistive technology services team
- Teacher representative at superintendent meetings
Arlington County Public Schools, Arlington, VA
Contracted Teacher, Carlin Springs Elementary Aug 2017 – Dec 2018
- Elementary, Cross-Categorical Special Education Teacher
- Fourth-grade special education resource support for all subjects
- IEP case management
- Lead lunchtime social skills small groups
- Participated in collaborative learning teams for Arlington Tiered Systems of Support
- Morning and afternoon bus duty
- Volunteered with family support liaison to plan community support meetings and events
- Chaperoned school dances and field trips for multiple grade levels
- Collaborated with IEP service team
Hillsborough County Public Schools, Tampa, FL
Teacher Intern, Broward Elementary Aug 2016 – Apr 2017
- Elementary, Cross-Categorical Special Education Teacher Intern
- Assisted with whole group instruction in second and fifth grade
- Taught small group interventions for math and reading
- Morning and afternoon bus duty
- Lead lunchtime social skills small groups
- Wrote IEPs and attended meetings
- Volunteered with fresh produce program
- Volunteered with afterschool tutoring program
Teacher Intern, Pepin Summer Institute Jun 2016 – Jul 2016
- High, Severe Disabilities Special Education Teacher Intern
- Co-taught self-contained classroom
- Taught one-on-one interventions for math, reading, science, and history
- Organized student talent show
Teacher Intern, Claywell Elementary Jan 2016 – Apr 2016
- Kindergarten, Cross-Categorical Special Education Teacher Intern
- Planned instruction with supervising teacher
- Taught small group interventions for math and reading
- Lead morning meetings and end-of-day routines
AWARDS AND HONORS
- Gerald Wallace Ph.D. Student Scholar Award, College of Education and Human Development, George Mason University, (2024)
- Helen Kellar Scholarship, College of Education and Human Development, George Mason University, (2023)
- Selected DEEL scholar for an Office of Special Education Programs, U.S. Department of Ed Leadership Grant (2021-2024)
- Ph.D. in Education Fellowship Award, GMU (2021)
- Alice C. Richardson Undergraduate Endowed Scholarship (2016)
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SCHOLARSHIP
BOOK CHAPTERS
Berkeley, S., Riccomini, P. J., Omohundro, K. M., & Fraze, K. D. (2024). Academic progress monitoring. In J. M. Kauffman, D. P. Hallahan, & P. C. Pullen (Eds.). Handbook of special education (3rd ed., pp. 201-239.). Routledge.
PEER-REVIEWED PUBLICATIONS
Satsangi, R., Raines, A., & Fraze, K. D. (2021). Virtual manipulatives for teaching algebra: A research-to-practice guide for secondary students with a learning disability. Learning Disabilities: A Multi-Disciplinary Journal, 26(1), 46-57.
BLOGS
Fraze, K. D., & Taylor, K. (2022, July 21). Congratulations Dr. Roddy Theobald on winning the 2022 AEFP Early Career Award! Notes from IES Research: Inside NCER & NCSER. https://ies.ed.gov/blogs/research/post/congratulations-dr-roddy-theobald-on-winning-the-2022-aefp-early-career-award
Taylor, K., Stapleton, K., & Nelson, A. (2023, June 21). Leveraging the voices of persons with disabilities in education research. Notes from IES Research: Inside NCER & NCSER. Thematic coding of the listening session transcript was completed by IES interns, Kaitlynn Fraze and Alysa Conway, with support from Katherine Taylor. https://ies.ed.gov/blogs/research/post/leveraging-the-voices-of-persons-with-disabilities-in-education-research
SCHOLARLY PRESENTATIONS
National
Fraze, K. D. (2022, December). A systematic review: Students with moderate to severe disabilities. Poster presented at The Association for Persons with Severe Handicaps (TASH) Annual Conference.
Hall, C., Fraze, K. D., & Vargas, I. (2022, July). Virginia resources for socioemotional learning. Poster presented at the Office of Special Education Programs (OSEP) Leadership and Project Directors’ Conference.
Fraze, K. D. (2021, December). Experiences of secondary students with severe disabilities and ESOL services. Poster presented at The Association for Persons with Severe Handicaps (TASH) Annual Conference.
State
Omohundro., K., & Fraze, K. D. (2022, May). Coteaching network discussion. Roundtable at the 2022 Virginia Council for Learning Disabilities Symposium.
Fraze, K. D., Demchak, A., Hall, C., Omohundro., K., Vann, S., & Vargas, I. (2022, May). Returning to school after COVID-19: National and state resources. Presentation at the 2022 Virginia Council for Learning Disabilities Symposium.
Local
Fraze, K. D. (2022, April). Adapting to the needs of struggling learners as students return to school after learning modality changes due to COVID-19. Presentation at DC Consortium Student Conference on Evaluation & Policy (DCSCEP).
Fraze, K. D. (2022, March). Students with severe disabilities. Invited speaker, EDSE 241: Characteristics of Students with Disabilities who Access the General Curriculum, Regan Mergen. George Mason University, Fairfax, VA.
Zitnyar, K. D. (2017, April). Culturally responsive teaching: An inquiry for success. Poster presented at the University of South Florida’s College of Education Annual Inquiry Conference.
SERVICE
NATIONAL
| Oct 2024 – present | Conference Proposal Reviewer, for annual American Association on Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities |
| Jun 2023 – May 2024 | Journal Manuscript Reviewer, for Research and Practice for Persons with Severe Disabilities |
| Aug 2021 – May 2024 | Conference Proposal Reviewer, for annual American Educational Research Association Conference |
STATE
| Dec 2021-July 2022 | Member, VCLD Co-Teaching Network |
| Nov 2021 – May 2024 | Journal Manuscript Reviewer, The Teachers Educator’s Journal (TTEJ) |
UNIVERSITY
| Sep 2022 – Nov 2022 | Invited speaker, EDSE 841 Evaluating Intervention Research, George Mason University, Fairfax, VA |
| Feb 2022 – May 2024 | Student Representative in PhD student interview process, George Mason University, Fairfax, VA |
| Jun 2022 | Invited speaker, EDUC 810 Problems and Methods in Education Research, George Mason University, Fairfax, VA |
| Mar 2022 | Invited speaker, EDSE 241 Characteristics of Students with Disabilities who Access the General Curriculum, George Mason University, Fairfax, VA |
| Jun 2021 | Invited speaker, in new student orientation, George Mason University, Fairfax, VA |
LOCAL
| Aug 2024 – present | Volunteer Teacher, Adapted Cooking Class for children with disabilities, Leesburg, VA |
| Aug 2023 – present | Volunteer, Balls Bluff Elementary School, Leesburg, VA |
| Apr 2022 – June 2023 | Mentor, Latin American Youth Center, Washington, D.C. |
| May 2021 – present | Volunteer, Homeless Bagged Meal Program, Arlington, VA |
| Jan 2020 – May 2021 | Tutor, for middle/high school, Tampa, FL |
| Jun 2019 – Sep 2019 | Tutor, for adult literacy, Vienna, VA |
| Aug 2019 – Feb 2020 | Volunteer, Arlington Food Assistance Center, Arlington, VA |
| Aug 2017 – Jun 2019 | Mentor, Transition and life skills mentor for middle school student, Arlington, VA |
| Aug 2017 – Dec 2018 | Volunteer, with Capital Food Bank Community Food Drive, Carlin Springs Elementary, Arlington, VA |
| Dec 2015 – Jul 2017 | Volunteer Custodian and Clerical Worker, Morgan’s Place Education and Sensory Therapy Center, Melbourne, FL |
| Apr 2015 – Nov 2019 | Volunteer, Autism Speaks, Tampa, FL; Washington, DC; Fairfax, VA |
MEMBERSHIP IN PROFESSIONAL ORGANIZATIONS
| Aug 2020 – present | Council for Exceptional Children (CEC) Sig. Division for Research |
| Mar 2021 – present | The Association for Persons with Severe Handicapped (TASH) |
| Mar 2021 – present | The Arc |
| Mar 2021 – present | American Educational Research Association (AERA) Sig. Research in Reading and Literacy |
| Mar 2021 – present | American Association on Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities (AAIDD) |
| Mar 2021 – present | Technology, Entertainment, Design (TED) |
SPECIALIZED TRAININGS
The Arc. (2025, January). School’s Advocacy Curriculum. Online training course.
Parent Educational Advocacy Training Center. (2025, January). Building Strong Parent Advocates training. Online training course.
Vanderbilt University. (2024, August) Child Language and Literacy Lab Research Retreat. Department of Hearing and Speech Sciences. Dr. Alison Prahl.
Campbell Collaboration. (2023, February). Meta-analysis of single-case experimental designs: An overview on current synthesis methods. Campbell Webinar Series. Dr. Mariola Moeyaert.
Redcap. (2021-2022) Training between George Mason University and Texas State University. Dr. Alyson Collins.
Language Essentials for Teachers of Reading and Spelling, LETRS (2021-2022). Professional learning course, Voyager Sopris Learning.
Office of Special Education Programs (2022, July). Leadership and Project Directors’ Conference.
Office of Special Education Programs (2023, July). Leadership and Project Directors’ Conference.
Columbia University. (2022, March and April). R Programming for Data Science.
